New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-05
c,,,cYnr avoVc u4RRJED MEN,

An insurance parpr The Chronicle, mas Deeh
collecting the statistics Of suicide in the United
states. Many OF the facts gathered and The con-
illusions derived from them were gwen III lhE
rp1nr,SE recently Among tic most singular
and uerplexing IS the fact that the
classiiicat ion by condition shows greater pIopor
tion of suicides among the married IMAM uie un-
married, which is contrary TO tho accepted theory
optrarv il certainly is to the statistics Of suicide
m Europe where the fact that more bachelors tnan
bcnedicts shuttle OFF their mortal coil voluntarily
has long been cited as onc of the moso obvious
reasons for entering into the holy estate OF matrl
mony. IT, therefore. it is true, as stated thau
the American married man is more prone to suicide
than his unmarried brother how dreadful series
NJ lectures and sll'mfcs is opened up, and how
heavy he infcrential ind ctmcnt preferred AGAINST
thc wife of the period. For il Is impossible TO
cscore the conclusion that il the majority OF
american suicides are married men, their deSper-
oic deeds must at least be in part attributed TO
their condition.
Now it may well be asked what there is or can be
IN American married life so TO dhercntIate II from
he mar-icd life of the Old World. In The latter
men fly to wedlock as guarantee against inc
morbid humors which are supposed 10 lmTel lhe
lonely bachelor 10 the halter or the stream Can
4 lao bclrycd that in the land OF the free and the
home Of the brave contrary stream OF tendency
,,nsl Is if conceivable that husbands here are
IN some mysterious way moved 10 seek In tho
other world relief from troubles which over
ohclm them in this ? The question Is not less deep
Than delicate, and the more IL IS pondered the
darker does it appear. For whereas In Europe the
prevailing systems or COVE nmcnt discountenancc
divorce with Us. uElll quite recently, The iadlty
of dissoIviug tic marria,e bond has BEEN In the
Shakespeare has observed upon the universal dis
position among men rather to "bear the Ills they
hayo than fly to Others that they know not Of"
and what must be the nature and extent OF The
present. and material Ills whose weight causes
married men thus TO so counter TO the common
experience OF the race and choose death with all
10 brincs before continued existence on the plane
Of mat imonyf
There is, indeed one peculiarly American phe-
nomcnon which, or so il may seem to The CYNICAL
p,,sihly has some connection with the strange
reversal Of suicidal statistics in relation 10 mar
ria g. II Is known among men as the oman
Rights question. It's manifestations have III some
res. Gets been Inspiring. and ~ n PERHAPS con
coiyablc that here and there married man OF
abnormally feeble mind finding so porten'ous a
Presence booming up in his household and o\eiturf
lng all his fixed ideas AS TO the properties OF
things and their illnesses. might be 30 overcome
as 10 lay violent hands upon himself. or course
thl, is the mcest con lecture. The real explanation
Of the difference between the suicidal tendencies
of married and unmarried men here and IN Europe
may be far more abstrlisc and difficult of compc-
hension IL Is possible that the immcasulnble
s,ireriority OF tho American girl over all other
created beings sonnet imcs proves too much for the
sanity OF The rash man who has aspired to partner
ship with Ler. and that subsequent realization of
his own deficiencies cn-onders desI air and the
suicidal act But IL is all mystery, and we can
but grope blindy after the solution unless, indeed,
we are prepared TO adopt the AleNandrian method
Of uudoing the Gordian knot and throw the onus
OF proof upon the mischcvous statsticians who
have involved Us in the Ierplexity by denying
natly the truth OF the central avcrment And
mat course, which is not without its advantages
Is open TO anybody.